Filtering means for the stacks of smudge pots and the like



March 6, 1951 A. TODD 2,544,190

FILTERING MEANS FOR THE STACKS OF SMUDGE POTS AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 10, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

A2 THUE L. TODD,

BY Wfimaa fimm Mam/mm ATTORNEYS A. L. TODD 2,544,190

FILTERING MEANS FOR THE STACKS OF SMUDGE POTS AND THE LIKE March 6, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 10, 1949 INVENTOR en/0e. L. 7000,

Patented Mar. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT -F-FICE "FILTERING MEANS FOR THE STAGKS OF SMUDGE POTS AND THE LIKE Arthur L. Todd, San Dimas, Calif.

-Applicati0n November 10, 1949, Serial No. 126,605

2 Claims.

1 This invention relatesz'to 'improved smokeclearing and filteringv means. for the stacks of smudge pots, Diesel engine exhaustsystems, other oil-burning apparatus, and public and private incinerator plants, the primary object of the invention being to provideameans of this character which effectively eliminates discharge, into the atmosphere of smudge and oil particles and reduces the amount ,of visible smoke.

Other important ,objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein,-merely for purposes of illus- 'tration herein, a specific embodiment of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an improved prises a conventional form of inverted frustoconical oil container 9 having a depending lighting spout [0 on one side of its dome-like top H. The usual stack pipe 12 rises from the center of the top II and terminates in an upper end it from which the smoke or smudge from the oil burning in the container 9 discharges into the surrounding atmosphere.

In accordance with the present invention, the stack l2 represents any pipe discharging smoke, smudge or carbon and oil-bearing smoke or products of combustion, such as the exhaust stack of a Diesel engine, and is provided on its discharge end 13 with a smoke-clearing assembly [4, and at a point preceding the assembly M with a breather pipe l'5 acting to return to the container 9 above the oil level therein, a certain proportion of the smoke, including air passing through the stack 12 toward discharge.

The smoke-clearing assembly [4 comprises a flat ring it substantially larger in diameter than the stack l2 and having secured thereto, as by spot welding, at equally-circumferentially-spaced intervals, as indicated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the upper and lower L-shaped lugs l1 and I8, re-

spectively. The lower lugs .II 8 t have: their. standard portions [9 in depending. positional; the;:outside edge of v.the ring 16, while. the standard portions of the upper lugs ll rise fromxthe inside edge ofthe ring l6. These standard-portions are traversedgby headedbolts l9 and -20, respectively.

The bolts 26' of the upperlugs-mount inverted L-shaped support lugs 2i whose horizontal 'portions 22 overlie theupper end'l3 of the stack l2 and suppcrtthe assembly 14L thereon. The bolts 28 serve also to clamp the'support lugs 2i and upper lugs l'l against opposite sidesof the lower part of a metal'meshror, hardware cloth inner cylinder 23, which the bolts 29' traverse, as shown in Figure 6.

The bolts l9 ofgthe' lower lugs 18 traverse the lower part of the outer metalmeshor hardware cloth cylinder 24 which is therebyconcentrically spaced from the inner cylinder, 23;,thebo1ts l9 serving to clamp the outer cylinder'z l-between the lower lugs 58 and washers on thebolts 19. As indicated in Figures 1, 3 and 6, the lower part of the inner cylinder 23 dependsbelow the 25 lower end of the outer cylinder '2 and closely surrounds-the stack l2, while the upper ends of these cylinders rise to the same :level.

The space between the mesh cylinders-.23 and 24 above the ring I6 is filled or packed with steel wool body 21.

Midway between the upper and lower ends of the assembly I4 is an intermediate screen partition 28 supported on and welded to the horizontal portions of inverted L-shaped lugs 29 whose vertical portions 30 are traversed by bolts 3| also traversing the inner mesh cylinder 23, the inner cylinder being clamped between the vertical portions 3!! and washers 32 on the bolts S, as shown in Figure '7. Resting upon the partition 28 is a thick disc 33 of steel wool constituting a breaker.

Spaced between the breaker 33 and the upper end of the assembly 14 is the filter consisting of a metal screen partition 35 like the screen 28 and, like the screen 28, supported on inverted L-shaped lugs 29 mounted on the inner cylinder 23 by bolts 3 I The space above the screen partition 35 and the top of the assembly is filled by a thick cylindrical filter body 36 of steel wool, which is topped by a metal screen cover 31 which covers also the upper ends of the inner and outer mesh cylinders 23 and 24 and the steel wool body 27.

The breather pipe l5 rises from the container top I I parallel to the stack 12 from a point spaced laterally outwardly therefrom and is somewhat smaller in diameter than the stack [2. The lower end 38 of the breather pipe l5 depends into the container 9, as shown in Figure 3, and the upper part of the breather pipe I5 is turned laterally inwardly at right angles, as indicated at 39, and passes through the side of the stack I2 at a point below the assembly I4 and terminates in a rightangularly, down-turned intak end 40 which is centralized in the stack I2.

In operation, as smudge and oil particle-bean.

ing smoke rises from the container 9 and moves toward the discharge end of the stack l2, part of the smoke passes into the intake end 40 of the breather pipe I5 and the remainder passes to the assembly M. The portion passing through the breather pipe I5 returns to the container 9 to admix with and dilute the products of combustion containing oil and smudge producing particles, the resulting products of combustion rising in the stack I2 with a portion of such products passing into the filter or smoke clearing assembly I 4 and the remaining portion being recycled through the breather pipe I5 back to the oil container 9 to admix with and dilute a further portion of products of combustion.

The portion of the smoke entering the assembly I 4 meets the breaker 33 and is stripped thereby of oil particles and the larger carbon and other solid particles, which accumulate in the breaker or fall back into the container 9 through the stack I2. The stripped smoke passing upwardly through the breaker 33 passes into the chamber 4| defined between the breaker 33 and the filter 36, and upwardly through the filter body 36 and is thereby further stripped of any remaining fine carbon and other particles, and emerges from the filter body 36 in a smudge-free, almost invisible gaseous form.

In the event of use of the device to clear the smoke issuing from an incinerator or other stack, the stack replaces the pot 9 to form the disclosed apparatus, including the breather pipe I5.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a source of gaseous products of combustion having oil and smudge-producing particles therein, a stack having a .discharge end through which said gaseous products are moved from said source, a clearing and filtering assembly on said discharge end of said stack acting to strip the oil and smudge-producing particles from the gaseous products as the same emerge from said discharge end, and a breather pipe having an intake end opening into said stack near said discharge end to intake from said stack a portion of the gaseous products moving therein toward said discharge end, said breather pipe having an outlet end communicating with said source whereby said portion of the gaseous products is returned to said source, said clearing and filtering assembly comprising a foraminous cylinder mounted concentrically on said discharge end of said stack, a foraminous breaker partition in said cylinder intermediate the ends thereof, and a filter partition closing the outer end of said cylinder, said filter partition being spaced from said breaker partition to define a chamber.

2. A device for clearing and filtering oil and other smudge-forming particles from smoke produced by burning oil, comprising a foraminous tube comprised of inner and outer mesh cylinders and a metal wool body therebetween, one end of said tube being open to admit the smoke, a first screen partition intermediate the ends of said tube having a metal wool breaker thereon, said tube having a discharge end opposite said one end, and a filter closing said discharge end comprising a second screen partition and a metal wool filter body thereon, said filter being spaced from said breaker to define a chamber, and

mounting means at the lower end of said tube for mounting the same on a smoke pipe.

ARTHUR L. TODD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 954,153 Wikstrom Apr. 5, 1910 1,739,093 Ruby Dec. 10, 1929 1,896,640 Moulding Feb. '7, 1933 2,284,157 Leonard May 26, 1942 

